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Guitar legend Carlos Santana has announced that he's going to release a new record in early 2014, and he will preview the album's material at a concert in Guadalajara, Mexico on Dec. 14. Looks like some people have some flights to book.

Uh-oh spaghettios, it's that time of year again. The time when music aficionados, nerds and enthusiasts altogether flock to local record stores to purchase limited edition pressings from your favorite bands … yes, it's Record Store Day … or at least the Black Friday edition. Some bands doing special releases include The Doors, Cheap Trick, Tegan & Sara, Roy Orbison and more. You can go to the Record Store Day website for a full list.

Punk fans rejoice! Bad Religion's Christmas Songs drops on Oct. 29, but the band has provided a little slice of the festive season by sharing their cover of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” Nothing says Christmas like a punk/thrash version of a Christian classic.

It wasn't enough for Kurt Vile to release what I consider to be one of the best albums of 2013, but he had to go the extra mile by releasing an EP, It's a big world out there (and I am scared), which comes out Nov. 19. Vile has given a sneak peek of the EP by making one of the tracks (“Feel My Pain”) available online. You can head over to Consequence of Sound for a listen.

Bombadil is one of those derivative folk-pop bands, but their mellifluous melodies are easy to get lost in. My favorite track off their album, Metrics of Affection, was “Born at 5:00,” and it's one of those sentimental ditties where a life is encapsulated within three to four minutes (which is no easy feat). So it's awfully appropriate the band decided to make a video for this particular track.

I don't like Billie Joe Armstrong. I like Norah Jones. I love the Everly Brothers. So upon reading that Armstrong and Jones decided to cover the Everly Brothers' Songs Our Daddy Taught Us with a series of duets, I was a little unsure of how to feel. Then I listened to their version of the track “Long Time Gone,” and my worries were immediately assuaged. Their album, Foreverly, hits stores on Nov. 25, and you can head over to Stereogum to read an interview with the artists about the record.

It seems like the Daft Punk craze is anything but dying down as the band have decided to expand on Random Access Memories by releasing a deluxe box set, which includes a 56-page booklet, robot schematics, a 70mm motion picture film strip and more. That available for shipping in early December, but it's available or preorder and runs about $275.

The Arcade Fire have been everywhere. From performing on “Saturday Night Live” to an appearance on “The Colbert Report” to playing numerous shows in preparation for their upcoming album's release (Reflektor comes out next week), they've been anything but shy about making their faces recognizable. Not that they weren't already well-known. Now they've shared the entire album via Youtube.

Paul McCartney shared a new video for the track, “Queenie Eye,” from his latest LP New, which basically shows McCartney laying the track down in a studio before a celebrity dance party ensues. Naturally Meryl Streep is the best one.

M.I.A. Isn't one to shy away from confrontation. So it's no surprise that she shared a new track (“Y.A.L.A.”), which is sort an answer to Drake's “YOLO” motto. She previewed a sample of the track last week, but now the song is available for aural consumption in its entirety. It's also going to be on her upcoming album, Matangi, which comes out Nov. 5.

I love Chinese food, and apparently so do a lot of people. Because Alison Gold's ode to Oriental cuisine has gone viral and debuted at 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Many know Jim James the front man of My Morning Jacket. Some know him from his work in Monsters of Folk. And some know him simply as Jim James, since his solo LP debuted in February. Now James has shared a video for album track “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.),” which you can view below.

Do you remember where you were when you first heard Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP? I remember trying to be cool with my older brother and his friends, jamming out to it at someone's house … or was that in a dream? Regardless the sequel is headed our way in the form of MMLP2, which comes out Nov. 5. But Eminem (who's blonde again) shared the track, “Berzerk,” which you can hear below:

When I was a kid, I watched Almost Famous, and the song “Sparks” by The Who completely enthralled me to the point where it sort of became my own personal mantra to follow. It’s fantastic. On that note, Universal is going to reissue The Who’s Tommy in a deluxe edition, set to break down walls on Nov. 11.

In honor of The Breeders’ Last Splash turning 20, Stereogum writer Tom Breihan did a little write-up about his love/hate relationship with one of the best records of the ’90s.

Spike Jonze and Karen O collaborate again! After Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs handled the soundtrack to Jonze's rendition of Where the Wild Things Are, she has now provided a track, titled “The Moon Song,” for his new film, Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix. You can hear the track below as well as view a trailer for the flick.

Apparently, some lost Joy Division and New Order tapes have been recovered and former member of both bands, Peter Hook, is in talks to buy them back. Unheard material? Yes please!

Cursive's The Ugly Organ confirmed two things for me. The first was that a rock band could be self-critical but with a poetic, angry prowess, and that Tim Kasher had one of the most tragically unique voices I've ever heard. But here's Kasher in a more synth-friendly, less angsty light, with his new track, “Truly Freaking Out,” taken from his new solo record, Adult Film, which hits the music-sphere on Oct. 8.

Alibi Arts Editor Lisa Barrow has suggested I tune in to watch “Boardwalk Empire.” I still have yet to get see it because I'm always weary when it comes to getting obsessed with a new show. I still haven't gotten into “Breaking Bad,” and that show's already coming to a close. But I digress, the soundtrack for “Boardwalk Empire,” which features Patti Smith (!), St. Vincent, Stephan DeRosa, Elvis Costello and more, drops next week (Sept. 3), but thanks to the folks at Billboard, you can hear it now.

In case you're wondering what Paul McCartney is up to, he's released a new track, titled “New,” from his upcoming album of the same name. The track maintains that whimsical style that made The Beatles so legendary. Look for the new record on Oct. 15.

According to Consequence of Sound, The Dead Weather just got a little deadlier. The band, featuring Jack White on drums, singer Alison Mosshart, guitarist Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence handling bass, released two albums, their last being 2010's Sea of Cowards. But Third Man Records announced, via Twitter, that the band is working on some new material (!).

4AD American pioneers, Throwing Muses, are coming out with an art book/album. According to Pitchfork, the release, titled Purgatory/Paradise, is scheduled for release on Oct. 28, with a full(er) release set for Nov. 11. So, if you're feeling nostalgic, pull out those late-'80s, early-'90s albums, or have a listen to their new track, “sleepwalking 1.”

I love A.V. Club. From their “Hatesong” columns to their Undercover music series, they know how to wrangle interesting musicians and make them do interesting things. Like here … we have Kurt Vile covering “Down In It” by Nine Inch Nails.

If you've never listened to “I Luv the Valley, OH!” by Xiu Xiu, where've you been? It's a fantastic song that captures the sadness and anger of misspent youth and the hardships of all-consuming love. At least that's my interpretation. But, Shearwater's covering it for their new LP (of covers) titled Fellow Travelers. The album drops on Nov. 26 via Sub Pop, and will feature covers of songs by St. Vincent, Smog, Coldplay, etc.

Beck releases new single in anticipation of two albums coming out this year

Like most Beck fans, I was turned on to the cryptic chameleon when I first heard Odelay in '96. Though it's probably considered his most mainstream effort, save the post-breakup lament of 2002's Sea Change, it's one of his most dynamic, beat-packed and outlandish releases. Yet, the thing with Beck is that he keeps going, regardless of the direction. Sure, that's a fairly exciting thing when you've been a fan of a musician for so many years; but unless you're in it for the long haul, it can become a little tiring. After contemplating the '60s psych-twinged alt-pop of 2008's Modern Guilt, I worried that Beck was running out of steam, trying desperately to retain some semblance of the alternative cool that propelled him to stardom at the peak of '90s weirdness. But Beck's new single “I Won't Be Long” gives me hope.

Beck is supposedly releasing two albums this year (one acoustic and one that is described as a “proper follow-up” to Modern Guilt). Though speculation seems to be the way it goes with Beck until a physical album finally manifests in our radio speakers. However the single signals the more well-rounded sound that was present on 2006's The Information, one of Beck's better releases, if I do say so myself. Keeping a steady, atmospheric pace, the production is clean, organized and surprising all at the same time. You can also check out another recent single “Defriended,” below. This one sees Beck riding an elastically equipped beat, churning out rhythmic synth melodies and echo-singing through it all.

The thing about Beck—what often gets lost on people—is that you have to embrace his weirdness. You have to take his word for it that with each direction, he's going to guide you somewhere safely, fuck with your head a little bit, but have you back before dark so your parents don't worry. Take for instance his Song Reader album, released last year. The album consists of 20 songs in sheet music form. So if you want to hear it, you have to learn how to play it or find someone who can. Although if you spend a good enough amount of time on the interwebs, you can find live videos of Beck playing the album live for the first time in London on July 4.

If there's one criticism that I've heard about Beck, it's that he's constantly recycling his old tricks, using stark lyrics, slick production and quirky beats to relay the same old messages but in different words and rhythms. But what do you expect? The guy's released 10+ albums in the span of two decades. Does that not grant him a little room on experimenting with his experiments, even if they turn out similar results? Does not one gleam of inspiration immediately relay toward another spark of awakening? I'm getting carried away. All I'm saying is that if this single is anything, it's an indicator that Beck is still creating interesting work, and 2013 may just be the year that he releases another (if not two other) substantial album(s). Play on.